The Skinny
The bed is the hardest goodbye and easiest hello for many. All this makes waking up and starting the day a recurring struggle. What’s worse is that too many try to make mornings easier but end up doing things that are, in fact, not beneficial to having a productive day or healthy body. To avoid further mishaps, WellWell has collected a few helpful tips to consider implementing into a healthy morning routine.
The Slate
Avoid Phone Screens
Don’t stare at a cell phone first thing. It can ruin your entire day, regardless of what you see. Research already reveals that focusing on a cellphone for long durations of time impacts vision and even the brain. Do it first thing in the morning and brain waves can be scrambled rather than going from delta waves (deep sleep) to theta waves (light daydreaming), alpha waves (awake and relaxed but not processing information) and finally the beta state (wide awake). A quick look at a phone risks skipping both theta and alpha waves, forcing the brain to be wide awake right away. This triggers stress responses and puts early viewers on edge.
Drink Water
Take a drink first thing—a drink of water. It’s essential for the body and, unsurprisingly, delivers proven benefits, including flushing out toxins and cleansing one’s bowels on an empty stomach. Water improves the digestive tract and overall quality of skin and bodily systems as well. Pouring H2O on an empty stomach also helps increase metabolism and stimulate red blood cells, creating more energy and facilitating healthy weight loss.
Make The Bed
It may seem a small matter but making the bed is more than just saving someone from embarrassment if guests stop over. It guarantees instant success in completing a task right off the bat and lowers levels of stress, as clutter can have a negative impact on mental health. Additionally, making the bed increases productivity. After spending two minutes straightening the blanket and fluffing the pillows, folding clothes, vacuuming and taking out the trash won’t seem so daunting.
Stretch
Before fully starting the day, get a good stretch in. The variety and benefits of stretching are plentiful, especially given its minimal demand on the body. A small stretch session not only increases mobility and flexibility, but it also helps give an extra spark that wipes away any lingering grogginess.
Avoid Pressing Snooze
Hitting the snooze button is common and understandable. It just isn’t a good idea. Having multiple alarms disrupts the final stage of sleep called Rapid Eye Movement (REM), otherwise known as the dream state. Constantly drifting in and out of the state causes the body to go into “fight or flight” mode, which increases blood pressure and heartbeat. Plus, the extra 5 to ten minutes of sleep isn’t really restorative anyway.
Eyes Up
What’s your morning routine? Tell us at info@wellwellusa.com.
